NEW HAVEN — Mayor-elect Justin Elicker has chosen Scott Jackson, the state revenue services commissioner and former mayor of Hamden, as his chief administrative officer, the first office the new mayor has filled.

“I am incredibly energized by this opportunity to serve the people of New Haven under Mayor Elicker. New Haven is the greatest small city in the country, and the opportunity to improve the lives of its families, the prosperity of its businesses, and the health of its institutions is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Jackson stated.

“I look forward to reconnecting with so many old friends who are active in the civic health of the community and collaborating on actions that make a measurable positive impact on people’s lives,” Jackson said in a statement.

Jackson’s appointment to the city job is effective Jan. 16, when he leaves his state office.

Jackson has an extensive career in local and statewide public service in Connecticut. He was twice reelected mayor of Hamden, then worked in the state Office of Policy and Management focusing on intergovernmental policy under then-Gov. Dannel Malloy. In 2014 Malloy appointed Jackson chairman of the Governor’s Sandy Hook Advisory Commission, which was charged with investigating the Dec. 14, 2012, shooting deaths of 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

In 2016, Jackson was appointed to be commissioner of the Department of Labor. He was named revenue services commissioner in 2018 by Malloy and reappointed in 2019 by Gov. Ned Lamont.

“I am thrilled to have Scott join our team. His background working in so many different facets of government and in particular his expertise gained running the City of Hamden will serve the City of New Haven well in his role as Chief Administrative Officer,” said Elicker.

“I look forward to answering any questions the Board of Alders may have about Scott as they work through the approval process for his appointment,” he said.

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As required by the charter, Jackson’s appointment needs to be approved by the New Haven Board of Alders. Elicker takes office Jan. 1.

Lamont issued a statement on Jackson’s appointment, saying he appreciated “Scott’s service with the state and his leadership in this important administrative function of government.”

“In addition to his role at DRS, over the years Scott has held several leadership positions in state government, including as labor commissioner, Under Secretary for Intergovernmental Policy at OPM, and also as chairman of the much-respected Sandy Hook Advisory Commission, which developed many new policies that were implemented in the aftermath of one of our state’s most horrible tragedies,” Lamont said. “Scott will bring many talents to Mayor-elect Justin Elicker’s incoming administration, and I appreciate the service he has provided our administration and our state.”

“As a lifelong resident of Connecticut, and one who truly believes that our renaissance is within sight, I thank Gov. Lamont for the confidence he displayed in me, my team at Revenue Services for working hard every day, and my fellow commissioners for the collaborative spirit that has allowed us to find the hidden force multipliers that lead to excellence in government service,” Jackson said. “I firmly believe that all of us are on the same team, so there is no doubt that we will be working together on projects in the future.”

Also in the release:

Jackson graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in government and while in school served as secretary of the Cornell Civil Liberties Union and was on the editorial staff of the Cornell Political Forum. At Cornell, won a Mellon Foundation Fellowship to study demographic trends in municipal government at Yale University and received one of two Minority Student Achievement Awards from the Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences, according to Elicker.

From 1993 to 2000, Commissioner Jackson had worked for then U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., in Hartford, handling citizen outreach and casework duties “across a broad series of service areas” and also served as systems administrator, according to Elicker.

In 2000 Jackson served as project manager and technical director for the Connecticut Policy and Economic Council, “an entrepreneurial non-profit dedicated to improving the delivery of government services” then went back to Lieberman’s office in 2003 as deputy state director for constituent services, according to Elicker.

After becoming a member of Hamden’s Community Development Advisory Commission, Jackson was then appointed to manage the town’s Office of Housing and Neighborhood Development, charged with overseeing the Community Development Block Grant, according to Elicker. In 2005, He was appointed chief administrative officer for Hamden in 2005 then was elected mayor of Hamden in 2009, winning reelection twice before leaving to work for the state.

Jackson also has served on statewide panels including the “Two-Storm Panel” evaluating Connecticut’s resiliency infrastructure, the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, the Municipal Accountability Review Board, the state’s Information Technology Strategy and Investment Committee, and was named chairman of the Connecticut Retirement Security Authority board of directors, according to Elicker.

Jackson and his wife, Mandi Isaacs Jackson, who is executive director of youth development at Music Haven and an author, have two sons.

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